CITY NATURE CHALLENGE
EVENTS
City Nature Challenge
Help the Seattle-Tacoma Metropolitan Area (including Everett, Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma and any place within Snohomish, King and Pierce counties!) show the world how biodiverse our region is by making observations of local species during City Nature Challenge!
Spring Plant BioBlitz
Plant lovers! Help us catalog our robust living plant collection during Earth Month (April 2026) to support our horticulture team with this 92-acre task.
Grit City Think and Drink Talk
Date: April 14, 2026
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Location: 7 Seas Tacoma Brewery and Taproom (2101 Jefferson Ave. Tacoma)
Cost: Free
Grit City Think & Drink brings scholars and experts from various disciplines face-to-face with the public in a comfortable, lively atmosphere. The evening begins with a presentation or lecture (often interactive) followed by giveaways and a moderated Q&A. Grit City Think & Drink is free to the public and open to all ages.
Accessibility Notes: Indoors, family friendly, food and beer available. Free street parking, bus stops, Tacoma light rail stop nearby (but uphill).
Brightwater Spring Stroll and City Nature Challenge Kick-off
Date: April 24, 2026
Time: 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Location: Brightwater Center 22505 State Route 9 Woodinville, WA 98072
Cost: Free
Kick off your spring exploration with other nature enthusiasts on the trails at Brightwater! This year we will be participating in the City Nature Challenge (CNC), helping jumpstart Team Seattle Metro Area’s efforts to make more observations of species over the weekend of April 24-27 than any other city in the world!!! We recommend downloading the iNaturalist app prior to arrival.
Accessibility Notes: Adult participation is expected. We want families to learn and work together! Although this event is recommended for participants 6+, we are open to all ages. Please make a decision about your child’s ability to participate based on the following information: This event involves 1.5 miles of walking, including some optional off-trail exploration.
City Nature Walk
Date: April 24, 2026
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Confluence Park, Issaquah (Meeting at the red barn (Tolle Anderson Holmstead) at Confluence Park)
Cost: Free
Participate in the worldwide 2026 City Nature Challenge by joining City of Issaquah Urban Forest Supervisor Dan Hintz on an excursion through Confluence Park to learn about and identify as many unique species of plants and animals as possible. The Challenge runs from April 24 to 27, 2026 and your observations will count towards those made from within the wider Seattle-Tacoma Metropolitan Area. This is a friendly competition among cities to see who can identify the most unique species, while helping citizens and scientists alike better understand local biodiversity.
Accessibility Notes: Indoors, family friendly, food and beer available. Free street parking, bus stops, Tacoma light rail stop nearby (but uphill).
Swan Creek Park Walk
Date: April 25, 2026
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Swan Creek MTB and Dog Park Parking
Cost: Free
Join naturalists from Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and learn how you can support the City Nature Challenge! Participants will learn about the wildlife that calls our parks home and be walked through how to make observations using iNaturalist. We will explore the upland trails of Swan Creek Park. Walks are free and open to all ages.
Accessibility Notes: Participating in this event will involve traveling about 1 mile. This will be over mostly flat, paved roads, with some options to walk on gravel trails and off trail areas near roads, as well as down steep unpaved trails to access First Creek and Swan Creek canyons.
UW Tacoma BioBlitz!
Date: April 25, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Location: Univ WA Tacoma TPS building ground floor
Cost: Free
Registration Coming Soon!
Outdoor walking in teams around UWT campus to discover urban wildlife, with a focus on “bugs” and weedy plants. Orientation to iNat at the beginning of the day and visits to the campus Giving Garden and microforest site. Microscopes provided for viewing small organisms.
Accessibility Notes: Wheelchair accessible, elevators available and restrooms nearby. Bus stops and Tacoma light rail stop nearby.
Olympic FlyFishers of Edmonds Bioblitz and Snohomish County Healthy Forest Project
Date: April 25, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Picnic Point Park
Cost: Free
Join nature enthusiasts and learn how you can support the City Nature Challenge making observations of wildlife using iNaturalist. We will explore the trails and beach of Picnic Point Park. Walks are free and open to all ages.
Now I’m always looking for that butterfly?
How AI-driven species identification apps change users’ experiences of nature – UW Tacoma Innovation & Design Career Series Guest Talk
Date: April 28, 2026
Time: 10:10 – 11:10 a.m.
Location: MLG 203 on UW Tacoma campus
Cost: Free
Registration is required – coming soon!
Dr. Sonia Stephens will be presenting on the use of AI in birding and plant identification apps, and what it can teach us about the future of environmental communication. She will be joining us to share her research and to discuss what these AI tools have to do with the future of design.
